New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-23
SMASHING COSTLY IMPORTS.
WORSE THAN BULLS IN CHINA SHOPS.
HOW MERCHANTS HAVE GOODS BROKEN, STOLEN
AND DELAYED AT THE PUBLIC STORES.
The cOmplanfs OF imnnrers Of china elAss earthen.

manner in which they handled in the United states
public stores at this port numerous AMI have been
increasing For The purpose OF discovering what ouua
ton there is for these expressions of dissatisfaction an
complaints OF loss by breaka,e reporter called upon
number OF importers who get their wares from France
Austria, Germany Italy, England. Japan AMI other
countries where this delicate material is made.
Ii may D. proper To state here that thctw Irc' tha
a certain proportion of imported merchandise N al be
sent to the public stores for examination aul apprac-
ment Under Section No. 9Oi OF the Revised Statutes
of the Unitcl staes the Collector required to de,
nate one package, at least OF every ten packages OF
merchandise ana greater number should lie or either
Of the appraisers deem it necessary be opened exam
ned and appraised AMI shall order the package 80 des
1gnaed to the public stores for examination" These
packages designated, directly from the vessel
In which they are imported AMI taken by the public
store cartman who selected by the Collector AMI is in
no wise responsible to the Importer to the public store
building at Laight AMI West The importer
nee has control Of the goods and is prevented from
assuming any rights of ownership IN connection with
tnem until they released from the public after
the examination ami the appraisemcnt.
SLIGHT REGARD FOR THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
During this period it is said, while the merchandise is
absolutely within the power of the Government, these
delicatcly fashioned articles roughly and mex
pcrty handled that undue Of brclkage is the
result In addition to this there is the further accusation
that goods mlawfuy taken from these packages,
while in tho public stores, unlcr the pretext of
samplng" which amounts in plain terms to violation
of the Eighth Commandment Lack Of eXpsrncss IN
getting tho goods ont for appraisement ana returning
them to the will account only for the damage done
to the choice upDrtation it will not the total
abstraction OF articles from the packages
A further of complaint is the alleged needless
delay which the merchants experience in obtanin the
gools from the pu)c stores after they have been sent
there from the importing vessel Under proper manage
ment where reapprasenent is required three or four
days ample for finding out the duty which any
class OF goods should legally pay. Yet a much longer
time is usually taken Ten days, fortnight, three
weeks. a month. six weeks. often elapso before the
patient importer get his goods Various elsons are
given these delays II is said that the public store
buln male Iuae To the dcminls Of the rowing
commerce of NewYork and that it is impossible to re
cciye ami deliver the goods with the dispatch which
expect H. on this account other warehouses are used
which public packages transferred, AMI al
dtonl delay Is incurred In getting them from these
outside warehouses IL IS alleged that frequently 1t Is
known sufficient certainty to what particular
warehouse they have been transferred the result being
confusion as well Is delay.
WHAT NE SUFFERERS SAY ABOUT IT.
IN prosecuting the inquiry in regard to the damage
which has rcstel to public store packages, anl their
depletion whio I'm the custody Of tae Government. ~
well the delay. to which the importer is subjected in
getting his gools back again. the reporter ounl much
difficulty Tor the that many importers expressed
a dissemination 20 Talk on the subject. The reason
frankly given 10y some thcn that If they allowed
the facts OF their IN trcatant 70 be made known to the
public. tncy must expect anno,auces and multiplied
drlay, from officials who It Zee. rerci At their
Disclosures.
The people in authority have a more Of ways
which ui-y make trouble for as. SAID Barclay
ST. iup,tia~ Yesterday otherwise wo al not hesitate
- gave you .n the facts would only b, inlrng myself
whoI doiag ANY else any good; therefore please
excuse me-"
There wrre others however MO were not 50 fearful
A. ,. house OF -tozruherg * CO.. Importers of stat
uar, stained glass. yestments AMI the Ike. Nns 81 AMI
80 Earcay-t Mr. Miller. tue manager. s'd That the
proportion OF thr goods sent Ia the public stores which
were dlnl,ri in the hlnidn< was not les, than - per
cent ana ~ frequently wl. greater Tin, vas much
-l-r ti the percentage OF loss where the cases come
directly from the importing vessel to tie stors or ware
hou,-
we have hospital downstairs" SAID Mr.. Miller
"anl when acte from thc public stores 10 Is the
-lnIn, order that ii shall 20 there ut onre. We know
.,om experience that il Viii contain lot OF broken
articles. without looking into Images broken and
mutl4;ol, art stained class worth 81 80 foot Is
broa,n. costly cnd,a5rt0 OF polished brass twisted out
of shape ami rendered worthless sanctuary lamps dam
a.cl. aud .uu vc-tucnt4 soirl AMI destroyed. Come
down and look at c work Of these buusns openers and
packers"
In thr hospital the reporter onnl John Kuurck the
artist decorator ami rcr5rcr bu,y replacing the broken
inh, ~ saint, and Thy severed wings OF angels and
chcrubs
81 avn Che acting hell surgeon OF this hospital"
slI Nr knlrcS and the public store meu keep ne AMI
lny three or tour assistant doctors employed good part
ot tac repairing the damage they do. Look at this
npc sized image 81 It. Joseph. with his heal knocked
of It l.. terra Gotta and durable. but tt couldn't stand
such u-ayc Here this beautiful representation. also IN
terri, GOTTA OF oar Lady holding the Child in her arms
The chlrl hand, are both and the front ~ the
sho dfsfiau
AN image several feet in height has been deprived
her THIS costly statue ~ ~ Patrick. as Won
See has lost hs head. Another terra GOTTA ~ OF st.
Joseph stands hero dccapitatel This lovely adorinS
angel auy mission or mercy until repair her
broken wings Iop, At damaged coalition OF this
representation OF tho Baptism OF Christ. Figures OF
angels, saint, and -craphs. yOu observe here have AL re-
criycd bet treatment. | could send these images to
China AMI have them back uniniurcd The trouble
Is i'm rrplckng suppose. To break of these Largo
images II stands hers would require blow from an
axe or heavy hatchet"
Besides these images a whole Of statues
chippcl and damaged out Of forty eight sanctuary
lamps perfect; otGcr the glass or the brass
work was broken else the lamps AMI base werc torn
apart All the articles referred to were said to be from
fine public store packages ~ shipment WcalWay5
import an extra number of opal lilies for Candida
bra" sail Mr. Miller to replace those broken in public
store Bat they everything there. Even the iron
eros. and iron window frames are twisted ana bent
don't now how they to do II. but here they are
while the packages which have not been in public store
are rarely injured"
surgeon knurch estimated the brcakagc of goods
from the appraisers stores at 30 per cent Mr. Miller
said that m addition what has been stated articles Of
vairc wrro frequently found To be missing from public
store packages after examination. which the invoice
showed were there when the case was shipped
"Isnti lttc singular" he asked that 1t is always
the public store case that is robbed"
The firm had also experienced great trouble from
DELAYS I'm getting their goods OF the Government
stores It was IA rare thing get them within ten days,
but oftoa 1t was weeks 10 month. anu some
times even longer.
PACKERS WORSE THAN BAGGAGE-SMASHERs.